Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Crystal Palace talisman Eberechi Eze has been hijacked by their north London rivals Arsenal, who have reportedly struck a deal to sign the 27-year-old. Now, the two reasons why London-born Eze chose Arsenal over Spurs have been revealed by Ben Jacobs.
Before Mikel Arteta’s men swooped in at the last minute, it looked as if Thomas Frank was going to secure the Englishman, who is widely regarded as one of the Premier League’s best dribblers. They even had terms in place ahead of rubber-stamping the move.
But, similarly to the Morgan Gibbs-White situation, Spurs have been stumped at the final hurdle – and now, they are back to square one. For Arsenal, it looks like they’ve got a gem on their hands; but why has he chosen the red side of north London?
Why Eze Has Chosen Arsenal over Spurs This Summer
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After Eze’s career-best season to date, the two capital clubs have been sniffing around his signature all summer, though it wasn’t until each side suffered an injury blow that their respective interest in signing the fleet-footed ace went through the roof.
For Arsenal, Kai Havertz’s recent knee injury meant that Arteta and his entourage were lacking depth in attacking areas. James Maddison, for Spurs, has suffered an ACL injury – and adding Eze would’ve relieved their injury-induced issues behind the striker.
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But why is Eze, who joined Crystal Palace in the summer of 2020, favouring a move to Arsenal over Spurs?
Of course, it’s easy to forget that the 12-cap England international rose through Arsenal’s academy ranks as a youngster. A boyhood fan of the Gunners, he has previously admitted to ‘crying for a week’ when he was released, at 13 years old, by the club in 2011.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), GIVEMESPORT’s senior football correspondent also suggested that Arsenal chiefs had convinced Eze of the project earlier in the summer, with their interest dating back to as early as June, which is when the summer transfer window opened.
“Andrea Berta and Mikel Arteta met with Eze to pitch the project in early July before Spurs came to the table. Arsenal's interest dates back to June. Eze sold on Arsenal back then, but no formal bid materialised at the time."
"Spurs then reached an agreement in principle with Palace this week and have terms in place with Eze. But Eze is waiting for Arsenal,” Jacobs added. “Previous talks on the player side crucial in persuading him as AFC now work to reach a fee with Palace."
In 2024/25 alone, Eze notched 14 goals and a further 11 assists in all competitions as he spearheaded his current employers, the Eagles, to FA Cup and Community Shield glory. Arsenal have got a gem in the attacking midfielder – but where he fits in remains to be seen.
Eze is not your typical touchline-hugging winger, while the Gunners typically play skipper Martin Odegaard in the No.10 role and have Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman waiting patiently in the wings. It’ll be interesting to see how Arteta handles his arrival.